Critical Language Scholarship Program | Advisor Role
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Advisor Role

The CLS Program relies on faculty, administrators, and staff members at universities across the U.S. to share information about the CLS Program with their students, and to advise students who are interested in applying for the opportunity. Although applicants are not required to obtain support from their home institutions to apply for the scholarship, we value the role that advisors play in supporting students in applying for nationally-competed awards like the CLS Program.

The CLS Program maintains a list of advisors at colleges and universities nationwide who assist students with the CLS application process. The list is available on our web site and is searchable by university name: https://clscholarship.org/universities

Sign up to be a CLS advisor:  https://clscholarship.org/advisors/sign-up.

All applications to serve as a recognized advisor are reviewed by our staff individually. Faculty and staff in language, literature, and other humanities departments; international relations or political science; STEM fields; study abroad; honors program or fellowship advising; and other areas can all play a role in advising students who are applying for the CLS Program.

We hope that each advisor in our network will:

  • Advocate for and promote the CLS Program on campus, both to students and to other faculty members and administrators;
  • Support students in applying for the award;
  • Stay up-to-date on application and program requirements; and
  • Serve as a point of contact for staff from the CLS Program and the U.S. Department of State for outreach efforts.

Campus-based advisors have access to a range of resources and opportunities provided by the CLS Program to assist them in these efforts, including:

  • Printed and electronic promotional materials;
  • Periodic email updates with program information and news;
  • Pre- and post-program press releases for campuses with CLS finalists and participants;
  • Access to this advisors toolkit containing additional resources for advising students;
  • Invitations to attend regional, limited-participation advisor workshops and training events; and
  • Opportunities to read and evaluate applications for the CLS Program each winter.

CLS Advising Roles and Requirements

Each college and university can have an unlimited number of campus advisors who act as resources to their students. In addition, a maximum of three advisors on each campus may be designated as “Principal” Advisors, who will have limited access to information about students on their campus who are applying for the CLS Program each year. They will be able to see the status of applications started by students from their college or university and contact information for those students. Each advisor must meet the following requirements:

CLS Advisor Requirements
  • Must have a verified institutional affiliation
  • Must be a staff or faculty member who works with students
  • Must use an .EDU email address associated with their college or university

Additionally, advisors who act as Principal Advisors on their campus must meet the following additional requirements:

Principal Advisor Additional Requirements
  • Limited to a maximum of three staff or faculty at each institution
  • Must be in a position to work with applicants across different degree programs applying for all languages
  • Must agree to data privacy policy

All advisors will be listed as resources for applicants publicly on the CLS Program website at https://clscholarship.org/universities. Those who are interested in serving as advisors for the CLS Program may sign up at https://clscholarship.org/advisors/sign-up. All applications to serve as a recognized advisor are reviewed by our staff individually.